Simmons Bank Has $3.31 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Simmons Bank grew its position in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 57.7% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,686 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,544 shares during the quarter. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ grew its position in Applied Materials by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 264,856 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $90,525,000 after acquiring an additional 7,061 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Applied Materials by 18.2% during the 1st quarter. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,171 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $742,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Tred Avon Family Wealth LLC bought a new position in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at $231,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its position in Applied Materials by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 2,082 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Applied Materials by 0.8% in the first quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,445 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $9,380,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Trading Up 10.8%

AMAT stock opened at $694.64 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Applied Materials, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.46 and a twelve month high of $708.99. The company has a market cap of $551.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.22, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a fifty day moving average of $479.64 and a 200-day moving average of $381.14.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $7.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.39 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.160-3.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.1 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.91%.

Insider Activity at Applied Materials

In other Applied Materials news, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total value of $14,398,392.09. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 146,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 199,767 shares of company stock worth $114,104,709 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc turned more constructive ahead of Applied Materials’ upcoming Q3 earnings, helping fuel a surge in the stock as traders bet on strong near-term results and continued AI-related demand. Why Applied Materials Shares Are Surging Monday
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms raised their price targets, including KeyBanc and Bank of America, with one note lifting its target to a Street-high level and reinforcing a bullish outlook for AMAT. Bank of America Just Gave Applied Materials Stock a New Street-High Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials was added to the Russell Top 50 index, which could increase passive-fund ownership and broaden investor attention. Applied Materials (AMAT) Joins Russell Top 50 After Leaving Value Indexes
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from market strategists noted that much of the good news may already be priced in after AMAT’s strong run, raising the risk that any earnings disappointment could trigger volatility. This Analyst Sees 20% Upside For AMAT Stock – Says High Expectations Around Applied Materials’ Businesses Create Short-Term Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts cautioned that expectations are now very high after the stock’s rapid rally, which could limit upside if Applied Materials does not deliver an especially strong earnings report. Applied Materials: Equipment Market Surge Priced Into Stock Price

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AMAT. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $502.00 target price (up from $454.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, May 15th. HC Wainwright set a $850.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday. B. Riley Financial increased their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $390.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $541.06.

Applied Materials Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials’ offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.